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Purple Broccoli

stems

leaves 

The early parts of March can be sort of a drag here weather-wise in London; very grey, fluxoating between dry and wet, mild warmth and lingering cold. Thats why I try to remember that at this same time of year something very colorful is coming. Right around the middle of March purple broccoli is breaking through the dull tones of the haze catching the eyes and beckoning the tongue, pan, knife and fork. 

Heres what you might want to do when this happens: 

TAGLIATELLE WITH PURPLE BROCCOLI 

serves 2 

Ingredients 

-1 large head of Purple Sprouting Broccoli (Americans - you might not be able to find this anywhere but my bet is that you should check the local farmers markets or possibly a fancy organic store - if nothing you can substitute broccoli rabe to similar effect)

-250 g of fresh tagliatelle or taglialette or you could get away with papardelle or fettucini 

-3 tbsp unsalted butter 

-1/3 cup pine nuts - roasted or toasted in dry skillet 

-1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper 

-2 cloves garlic - crushed into a paste 

-1 or 2 tbsp heavy cream depending on your cream love ("whipping cream" if your stateside) 

-fresh grated Parmesan for serving 

Method

Begin by setting a large pot for boiling pasta and broccoli over high heat. Chop the tough bottom part off of the broccoli head. Then chop the whole head of broccoli into pieces no bigger than an inch (leaves and all - its all good). 

Once the water boils salt it well and then add in the pasta and gently stir. Add in the chopped broccoli about 2 mins after you add in the pasta. You just want to soften the broccoli not cook the life out of it, so if your pasta requires a long cooking time then wait a bit longer before adding in the broccoli. The broccoli should really only boil for about 4 minutes - until it is slightly firm to the touch and easy to eat. 

Reserve at least 1/4 cup of pasta water then drain pasta and broccoli and set aside. 

Place a frying pan over medium heat and add the butter. Once it starts to foam up a bit add the pine nuts and ground pepper. Just as the butter is beginning to brown (after about 5 mins) add in the garlic paste. Cook an additional minute then remove from heat. (This step can be done while pasta and broccoli cooks if your up for it.) 

Return pasta and broccoli to large pot, add in the reserved pasta water, the brown butter and pine nuts, and the heavy cream. Toss to incorporate ingredients, check if salt is needed, then serve with the grated parmesan. 

CHAMPURRADO

Its not the prettiest sight for the weary morning eye. But once you taste you realize that its good to have more than one sense. This Mexican breakfast delight is best served on sunny mornings (it looks much better well lit). 

CHAMPURRADO 

(Mexican Chocolate Breakfast Porridge) 

(serves 2) 

Ingredients: 

-1/2 disc of Ibarra brand Mexican Chocolate or about 40 grams of any other drinking milk chocolate

-1/4 cup of Masa Harina (corn flour for tortillas)  dissolved in 1/8 cup of hot water

  - - - - (if you cant find Masa then try substituting Semolina and let me know how it works)

-3/4 cup hot water 

-1 cup of whole milk 

-1 tbsp of molasses or black treacle 

-2 1/2 tbsp brown sugar (dark or light to your taste!) 

- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp of chile flakes (or none if you dont like spice) 

-1 inch long cinnamon stick, preferably Mexican cinnamon... 

  -----NOTE: if you dont use a Mexican chocolate you might want to add a touch of vanilla extract and maybe just a bit more cinnamon to get the flavor closer to the Mexican chocolate which contains a bit of both in it (innit). 

Method: 

Start by grinding the Ibarra chocolate in a mortar and pestle until a rough powder is produced (skip step if using drinking chocolate powder). Next put dissolved masa harina and the hot water into a blender/processor and blend until smooth. Pour the blended masa into a small and deep sauce pan over medium low heat. Begin stirring mixture with a whisk and proceed to add in all the other ingredients. Bring to a low simmer and cook until mixture thickens to a thick smooth custard consistancy and becomes glossy. DO NOT BOIL! 

At this point you are ready to go. Check the seasoning (add more brown sugar if needed, more chile if needed) and serve. Some people might tell you to strain it but I dont see the point. If cooked right it will be smooth in the mouth and straining is unessesary. Do pick the cinnamon stick out if you feel. 

Quick Cheap Easy Dinner...

for Joel W 
 Anytime someone says "quick" combined with "cheap" and "easy" this is the first thing to come to mind: "Pasta" 
The cheapest one I know... that would have to be this one: 

Pasta alle Acciughe i Broccoli 
serves 2


Ingrediente: 
-250 g Spaghetti or if preferred Penne or whatever.... I think spaghetti works best
-2 small heads of broccoli or 1 big one (smaller tend to be more flavorful)
-1 tin or small jar of anchovies in oil (not in salt)
-1 dried red chilli or 1/2 tsp of chilli flakes
-freshly ground black pepper
-chopped parsley (optional)
-1 tbsp nice extra virgin olive oil

Method: 
Fill up a large pot of water for boiling your pasta and place over medium high heat. Next trim the bottom of the brocolli stems and chop the whole head of brocolli (dont waste the stem, its a great part of the vegetable!) very finely just like this:

Set aside.

Dump anchovies along with their oil into a small skillet and heat over medium heat. Stir well with a wooden spoon and continue to cook. Once the anchovies begin to dissolve into the oil add in dried chilli/chilli flakes and a good amount of fresh ground black pepper. Cook another 1 minute and then turn heat all the way to low just to keep the oil warm.

 When the water boils add in 1/2 tsp of salt and then your pasta. After about 7 mins (or more precisely: 2 minutes before the end of suggested cooking time of your pasta) add in the broccoli and stir. Cook until pasta is al dente and then drain the pot RESERVING 1/4 CUP OF PASTA WATER!

Put pasta and broccoli back into the pot and add anchovy sauce and some reserved pasta water. Toss pasta well and adjust seasoning. Add extra virgin olive oil and parsley (if using) and toss again.

Now serve... with a simple salad perhaps?


-
C Powers

REQUEST: Sweet Potato & Chickpea Masala ala King

for my good friend Pat "Jah Pat" King who I trade cooking knowledge for record collecting/djing knowledge with. he is a badman behind the decks.     


INGREDIENTS
-1 large sweet potato or 2 smaller ones - washed and cut into 1 inch chunks
-3 tbsp peanut/coconut/vegetable oil or ghee
-1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
-1 medium large onion - diced
-3 cloves garlic - mashed to a pulp or ground up
-2 red chillies - diced  
-1 cup of brewed black tea (preferrably assam)
-1 400g can of peeled whole tomatoes - (make sure there is no basil in there)
-1 400g can of chickpeas, drained
-1 tsp sea salt
-1/2 tsp ground turmeric powder
-1 1/2 tsp fresh ground coriander seed or 1 1/2 of store bought ground coriander
-1/2 tsp fresh ground cumin seed or 1 tsp store bought cumin powder
-4 green cardamom pods - slightly crushed enough to open pods (optional)
-1/2 tsp garam masala powder
-black pepper to taste
-fresh chopped coriander + raw onion slices to garnish

METHOD
Put sweet potato chunks in a large, wide, pan (at least 2-3 inches deep) and add water just to cover. Bring to a simmer over high heat and cook until sweet potato is just barely tender (like you can put a fork into a chunk, but not all the way through it). Drain sweet potato and set aside.

Dry out the same pan and place over medium high heat. Add oil/ghee before pan gets to hot. Once oil is hot (you can test by dropping a single cumin seed in and seeing if it sizzles immediately) add in cumin seeds and stir for 15 seconds. Then add onion and chillies, lower heat to medium and fry, stirring frequently, until onion is transparent (about 8 minutes). Add in ground/crushed garlic and stir well. Fry for about 1 - 2 minutes being careful not to burn garlic. Pour in the black tea and tomatoes and using a wooden spoon break up the whole tomatoes into a nice chunky consistency. Add in chickpeas, turmeric powder, salt, ground cumin, cardamom pods (if using and I suggest you do),  and reserved sweet potato. Bring up to a slight boil, stir well and then lower heat to medium-low. Continue to cook uncovered for about 15 - 25 minutes.

Check doneness of chickpeas and sweet potato (should be very tender). If sauce is too watery continue to cook for a bit longer. If sauce is to thick, add a bit of water and stir well. Just before serving, remove pan from heat and add in garam masala and stir.

Serve with ample amounts of chopped fresh coriander and over basmati rice or with a nice fresh naan bread.



This is all from memory so let me know if something is missing! 

I went back to my sunny hometown...

....of Atlanta and woke up one morning and me and my brother Ben decided to go grab some breakfast. We went for the traditional:

THE CHICK-FIL-A CHICKEN BISCUIT 

(Ben and I, feeling satisfied, then proceeded to the nearest gun club and blew holes into a paper target featuring an armed man of Middle Eastern decent that looked exactly like Osama Bin Laden. It was a first for me.) 

THE CHICK-FIL-A CHICKEN BISCUIT 

You know your driving into the southeast when you see a Chick-Fil-A logo on the interstate exit food info sign.

If you get there before 10:30 (or maybe they have a few left over by like 11am) you can start the morning right with a country time favorite THE CHICKEN BISCUIT. 

TRADITIONALLY SERVED WITH HONEY OR JELLY. 

Living in fried chicken shop land (East London) I almost forgot how good and fresh these guys are. They do go a cut above most chains and seem to be using chicken of a decent quality in their sandwiches. 

Kerala Carrot Salad

KERALA CARROT SALAD 

(pictured with basmati rice) 

An easy and colourful salad perfect for rice and augmenting spicy dishes. 

Ingredients: 

Enough carrots to fill a bowl when shredded 

1/2 cup desiccated shredded coconut

2 tsp coconut oil (preferably extra vigin cold single press expensive kind)

-----try substituting mustard oil for coconut oil for a more pungent and sharp tasting salad

1 tbsp black mustard seeds

10 - 15 curry leaves

1/4 tsp asofetida powder

2 dried chillies, broken up (or leave whole for less heat) 

1 tbsp fresh ginger paste 

1/2 cup loose packed chopped cilantro/coriander 

salt to taste 

Method:

Fill your large salad bowl with the shredded carrot (be sure to leave enough room in the bowl to toss the salad around and mix everything together well). Add in the desiccated coconut and incorporate well. 

Place a small iron or non stick fry pan heat over medium high heat. When hot add in mustard seeds. When mustard seeds begin to pop add in curry leaves, asofetida powder and dried chillies. Stir for 15 seconds and then add in ginger paste. Fry for another 30 seconds and then pour over the carrot and coconut mixture. Quickly begin to stir the oil into the carrots and coconut. After a few good stirs add in the chopped cilantro and mix well. Salt to taste, garnish with a bit more of desiccated coconut and serve with basmati rice and other spicy dishes. 

Enjoy